


Beside You

by berettajane



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Daddy Luke, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Male-Female Friendship, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unrequited Love, but not like that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 07:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8570536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berettajane/pseuds/berettajane
Summary: "You don't get it, Luke," Melanie cried in an exasperated tone, pushing Luke away. "This isn't just 'some fight' we had; it's over.  It's over and I'm going to be stuck doing this on my own.""You're not alone, Melanie;  I'm literally right here. You know I'm not going anywhere.  What is so bad that you think you're going to go through by yourself?"She covered her face, as if she would disappear if he couldn't see her."Mel, talk to me," Luke said, touching her hand lightly from where he was leaning against the counter.He heard her mumble something through her hands, causing him to raise his eyebrows and hope he didn't hear what he thinks he did."You're what?"Melanie removed her hands from her face, holding her arms out to either side of herself.  "I'm pregnant, Lu," she said, her hands dropping to her sides.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it!

Luke groaned, rolling over to pick up his phone, which was ringing obnoxiously.  His clock glared "11:39 p.m." in angry red letters.  Who the fuck was calling him?  Luke swiped his thumb across the blurry green blob on his screen, not caring to check the caller ID.

"This better be good," he grumbled into the phone as he laid face down on the bed.

"Luke?" a panicked voice came through the other line, along with a sniffle.

"Mel?  Is that you?" he asked as he opened his eyes, his senses coming to him slowly.  He was answered by a muffled sob, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  Using the hand not holding the phone, Luke pushed himself up to a sitting position, his legs swinging over the edge of the bed.  "Melanie?  Honey, what's wrong?" his asked, his voice thick with sleep as he turned on his bedside lamp before rubbing his hand over his face, trying to wake himself up.  Melanie and Luke had been friends for several years, having met in college before taking a job at the same school, Luke teaching music while Melanie taught English.

"Can you come get me?  Please, Luke?" Melanie begged.

"Of course.  Where are you?" he said, standing up to pull a random pair of jeans on.  He couldn't very well have drove around in only his boxers.  Luke heard her sob again before they were muffled, presumably by her hand.  "Breathe, Mel," Luke coaxed, pulling on a shirt and stepping into an old pair of sneakers before walking quickly to his front door.  "I need you to tell me where you are, okay?  Are you hurt?  Is anyone with you?" he felt worry bubbling up in his chest as possibilities ran through his head.

"I'm a few blocks from Mario's," she sniffled.

"I'm on my way," Luke said, grabbing his keys and wallet before walking out of his house, locking the door behind him.

 

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

 

Luke yawned, shaking his head to wake himself up as he drove through the city, traffic sparse at nearly midnight.  His jaw was tense with worry and a bit of anger.  What the hell was his best friend doing downtown in the middle of the night?  What happened to her to cause her to call him crying, begging for him to come get her?  He just hoped she was okay.

 

15 minutes later, Luke was almost to Mario's, slowing his car down as he searched both sides of the street for the familiar face of his friend.  Two blocks away from the restaurant, he spotted a small figure with their back against the brick building behind them.  Luke felt his gut wrench as he saw his best friend crying and alone, her arms wrapped around herself.  He pulled over, slowly coming to where she was standing.  Luke reached across the car, opening the door before calling out to her.

 

"Melanie!" he watched as she flinched, her arms instinctively wrapping tighter around herself as she turned to face the voice.  "Come on, sweetheart.  Let's get you home."  Melanie smiled with relief before climbing into the car, wrapping her arms around Luke's neck.

"It's okay.  You're safe, Mel," Luke said softly, rubbing soothing circles on her back while his other arm held her tightly to him.  She sobbed into his shoulder, thankful and relieved to be safe and in familiar arms.

 

When her breathing finally slowed, Luke pulled back, his hands resting on Melanie's shoulders as he craned his neck to look into her eyes.  "Are you hurt?" Luke asked, taking in her appearance.  She was in a black floor-length dress and heels.  Nothing about her seemed obviously hurt, only her hair and makeup were out of place.  When she shook her head, he took that as his cue to continue with his questions.  "Do you want me to take you home?"

 

Luke watched as Melanie squeezed her eyes shut, fresh tears flowing as she shook her head, turning her face away from him in an effort to hide.  He sighed, knowing she must have gotten into another fight with her boyfriend, Eric.  Luke swallowed his anger that was building inside his chest, knowing that expressing it would only upset Melanie further.  He reached behind him, his hand searching for a moment before finally landing on a hoodie.  He turned back around, handing the hoodie to Melanie, who accepted it with a small smile before moving to slip it around her shoulders and zipping it up.

 

"Put your seatbelt on, Mel.  We'll be at my place soon," Luke said, putting the car into drive before turning on the radio to fill the silent air in the vehicle.  Melanie fastened her seatbelt, adjusting so that her head and shoulder were comfortable against the window.  Once settled, she reached over and linked her hand with Luke's, which she pulled to her chest as she watched the scenery blur through the window.  Luke smiled softly, glad that he was able to provide some level of relief to her.

 

He continued to drive to his house, lost in his thoughts about when they first met in college.  Luke had overestimated his skills when he was walking through the hallways of his dorm  He was balancing two boxes on top of each other and nervously peering around the sides, hoping that the people around him were at least clearing a path for him to fall without hurting anyone else.  He rounded a corner, running straight into someone, the top box sliding from off of the other.

 

"Oof!" he heard someone groan as they caught the toppling box just before it hit the ground.

"Oh, my god!  I'm so sorry.  I don't know what I was thinking," Luke rushed out, his cheeks hot with embarrassment as the person lowered the box until he could look over it.  He heard a laugh that, to this day, makes his stomach do somersaults.

"It's okay," the girl laughed as she adjusted her grip on the box so that it was no longer slipping.

"No, it's not.  I'm a total dick.  Are you okay?" Luke asked, chewing on his lip, his eyebrows raised in concern.

"Really, I'm fine," she insisted with a smile.  "You must be the transfer."

"Yeah, I am.  How'd you know?" Luke asked.

"Well, the accent was a good indicator, but it was the giant red stamp that says 'Australia' on your boxes that truly gave it away," she chuckled.  He laughed, resting his forehead on the box in front of him.

"You've caught me.  Nice detective work, Miss--?"

"Melanie Jacobs.  And you are?" she asked, offering her hand.

"Luke.  Luke Hemmings," he introduced himself, awkwardly readjusting the box, pinning it against the wall so that he could shake her hand.

 

They had clung to each other from that day forward, finding common ground in music and being thousands of miles away from everything they knew and loved.  They had both made other friends, but no comradery they initiated could compare to the one they had together.  Their friendship lasted the remaining years of college and into the years afterwards as they both landed teaching jobs at the same school, often having lunch together, and sometimes taking trips sightseeing on the weekends, or just to the beach.

 

The dynamics of their friendship shifted when Melanie began dating Eric.  Gone were the days of weekend trips and sleepovers as the relationship progressed.  It was their lunches that remained, and they were something that Luke lived for.  They were the scheduled break in the mundane daily activities.  During these breaks, they would discuss movies, music, worldly theories, gossip; anything that crossed their minds.

 

Over the past few months, several of these lunches had revolved around Melanie and Eric's tumultuous relationship.  Luke had gotten whiplash from the events of their relationship; on-again, off-again, at an alarming rate.  His heart ached even more when he held her as she cried into his shoulder during their lunches because all he wanted to do was beg her to say "enough", make it the last time they fought, and come running into his arms to stay until the end of time.

  


"Mel," Luke whispered softly as he squeezed her hand in his.  "We're here, sweetheart."

 

Melanie opened her eyes, swollen and raw from crying while Luke unbuckled their seatbelts.  She unwound their hands, stretching slightly as she opened her door to step out, being met with Luke's outstretched hand as he helped her out of the car.  She smiled sadly at him before kicking off her heels, picking them up by the straps as he shut the car door behind her.  They walked the short distance to the front door of Luke's house.  Once inside, Luke locked the door behind them, toeing off his shoes next to where Melanie had dropped her heels.

 

Luke lead them into his kitchen, withdrawing his hand to get Melanie a glass of water, which she gladly accepted.  Once she finished the glass, Luke broke the silence.  "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

He watched as Melanie inhaled a deep breath, seemingly debating her answer.  She ran through the events of the night, and how her excitement had turned into sadness and embarrassment.  She knew that there were several possible reactions Luke could have when she told him what happened, all of which were inevitable now.

 

Melanie traced the grout lines of the tiles with her eyes, not daring to look up at Luke.  She took a deep breath before explaining.  "I found out some news that I wanted to share with Eric, so I asked him if we could go to Mario's for dinner because it was where our first date was.  I thought he was going to be so happy when I told him," she trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip as she fought tears again.

"How bad was his reaction?" Luke asked after racking his brain, searching for what the news may have been.  He couldn't think of any recent events, and he couldn't possibly understand why Eric wouldn't be happy about whatever it was if was good news to Melanie.

Melanie shook her head, choking out a sob as she covered her face with her hands.

"Mel," Luke said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, tucking her into his chest.

"I'm such a fuck-up, Lu," Melanie sobbed even harder, her voice getting pitchy.

"You're not a fuck-up, Mel.  Eric's just a dick.  He'll come around soon, and you two will be good as new again," Luke encouraged, rubbing Melanie's back as he spoke.

"You don't get it, Luke," Melanie cried in an exasperated tone, pushing Luke away. "This isn't just 'some fight' we had; it's over.  It's over and I'm going to be stuck doing this on my own."

"You're not alone, Melanie;  I'm literally _right here_. You know I'm not going anywhere.  What is so bad that you think you're going to go through by yourself?"

She covered her face, as if she would disappear if he couldn't see her.

"Mel, talk to me," Luke said, touching her hand lightly from where he was leaning against the counter.

He heard her mumble something through her hands, causing him to raise his eyebrows and hope he didn't hear what he thinks he did.

"You're what?"

Melanie removed her hands from her face, holding her arms out to either side of herself.  "I'm pregnant, Lu," she said, her hands dropping to her sides.

"Shit," Luke said, rubbing his face with his hand.

"I'm fucking pregnant, and Eric walked out on me.  What am I going to do, Luke?  I have nowhere to go, my family is thousands of miles away, and I'm nowhere near prepared to handle this.  Oh, my god," she said, breaking down into tears again.

"Hey, hey, hey," Luke said, touching her elbow.  He pulled her to him by the waist when she didn't move towards him.  He held her to his chest, her head under his chin as he let her cry.

"We'll get it all figured out, okay?  You can move in with me, if you want.  I have an extra room," Luke offered, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

Melanie pulled away from Luke slightly, wiping her face before looking at him.  "Luke, you don't have to do--"

"Stop," Luke interrupted, shaking his head.  "I was thinking of getting a roommate anyway.  It's just too much house for one person.  Besides, it'll be more comfortable for both of us if you move in instead of a stranger, and we can carpool to work,"

Melanie nods after a moment, accepting his offer.

"Okay, then.  That part is settled.  We can go get your things tomorrow or whenever you're ready.  We'll figure the rest out later, okay?"

"Thank you, Lu," she said, hugging him tightly.  She couldn't be more thankful for her best friend.

"You know you have to call your mum and tell her," Luke said, knowing that the only person in the world closer to Melanie than him is her mother.

"She's _so_ going to yell at me," Melanie said, dropping her head back like a child who was just told to pick up their toys.  Luke laughed at the irony of that thought.

"She may yell at first, but you know she'll love you no matter what," he yawns.  Remembering how late it is, Luke decides it's time for bed.  "Are you hungry or anything?  Is there anything you need?"

Melanie pulls away a bit to think before looking down.  "Something to sleep in, I s'pose."

 

Luke laughs, grabbing Melanie's hand as he leads her to his bedroom.  She let's go of his hand, crawling up on his bed as he opens his top two dresser drawers.

"You always left your shit here when you would sleep over, so I'm sure there's something here you can sleep in.  Shorts or sweats?" Luke asked while picking out his own pajamas, sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt.

"Shorts," Melanie replied.  Luke grabbed a pair of her shorts and a tattered band tee of his that she had staked claim in.  He turned to face her, seeing her kneeling in the middle of his bed with his stuffed penguin hugged tightly to her chest.  He smiled fondly at his best friend.  He couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she was, even with tear-stained cheeks and her hair now thrown into a messy bun.

"He's yours for the night.  You need him more than I do right now," Luke said, smiling.

"Thanks, Lu," she whispered from behind the penguin's head.

Luke laid the clothes on the bed next to her, kissing her head as he shuts the door behind him to change in the bathroom.

 

A few moments later, Luke knocked on the door.

"Are you changed?" he asked through the door.

“Yeah, Melanie said quietly.

 

Luke opened the door, seeing a sight he hadn't in a long time: Melanie in her pjs laying in his bed.  He smiled to himself, walking into the room.

“Is there anything else you need? A glass of water or anything?” he asked, standing at the foot of the bed.  Melanie shook her head, snuggling deeper into the bed.  

 

Luke turned off the light and climbed into bed. Laying on his back with his arm behind his head, Luke let his mind roam. He was pissed that Eric didn't step up and be a man for Melanie and the baby.  Now, Melanie is going to have it 10 times harder as a single parent raising this child who, by nature from Eric's DNA, is going to be a handful. Luke always thought Melanie would make a great mother, he just didn't think he'd see it so soon.  His main focus now had to be making sure Melanie had anything she needed and didn't feel alone or helpless.

 

Feeling Melanie toss and turn for the 10th time, Luke decided to check on her.

“What's wrong, Mel?” he asked softly, poking her side.

“I just can't get comfortable.  My mind won't shut up,” she said, turning over to face him.

“Hold on,” Luke said, leaning up and grabbing his phone. He put his music on shuffle, placing it in the speakers dock next to his bed before flopping back down.  “Better?” he asked.  Melanie didn't respond, just scooted towards Luke, snuggling into his chest.  Luke used the hand that wasn't wrapped around her waist to lightly rub up and down the forearm that rested on his chest.  “Get some rest, Mel. We'll take on the world tomorrow, okay?”

Melanie nodded her head against his chest.  Soon, the sound of her soft snores filled room as she drifted into a deep sleep.  Luke followed her shortly.  

  
That night, Luke dreamt of Melanie and how the news of her pregnancy would have been taken differently had she been with him instead of Eric. He thought of how happy he'd be, how complete he would feel when he told his family and how they’d happily accepted the news of another Hemmo baby making its way into the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
